#8 The Freedom Project

I am taking a class every other Wednesday night called the Freedom Project. We are studying the founding fathers and their writings. Last night we had a simulation on the Constitutional Convention. I learned a few things.

I learned that I know nothing compared to those men. It was hard to know even where to start...even though we have their model to follow. They made the model from scratch...from their readings, and I believe inspiration.

I learned that I don't even know enough about their model to hold an intelligent conversation about their model...better work on that.

And I learned that it is important to be more virtuous than one already is. Let me sum up:

Their constitutional convention made two compromises

1. Slavery...some states wanted to keep slavery others did not, they could not agree

2. Taxes...some states wanted less votes to determine if a tax law was passed (51% vs 67%),..so one could pass, some states wanted more votes...so it would be harder to pass.

The delegates for lower tax votes were against slavery, and the delegates for slavery were against lower tax votes. So they compromised and we got slavery and lower percentages to pass tax bills.

Some of the greatest problems in our country today can be linked to these two problems:

If they had decided right then and there to overcome slavery (we may have a had a civil war) the states would still be sovereign and be equal powers with the federal government. Oh what a joy that could be!-lesser federal government as the founders intended.

If they had decided right then and there that you had to have 67% of the delegates vote for a bill that affected taxes I think we would have a whole lot less bills, and taxes...and only ones that all the many delegates agreed with would pass.... "party politics" would not have as much power.

To sum up: If the founding fathers had been just a little more virtuous on these two issues where could we be today intead of where we are...slaves to a huge socialist government who has decided that the constitution was written by athiest men who are way behind the times and irrelevant to our "global" society today. So much for truth and right and principles and VIRTUE.

Okay, that was a little harsh...and I have to be in control of my self so what am I going to do about what I learned:

1. Read more of what they read...Locke, Blackstone, Montesquie

2. Study more of what they wrote..Constitution, Declaration, personal writings

3. Be more VIRTUOUS....what if my non-virtue of today causes more non-virtue tomorrow in my kids or my community? I think I can always be a little more virtuous :)